YORK, Pa. -- Gracie McKee (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown) left no doubt in winning her first PSAC gold medal Saturday. The senior led start-to-finish in the 200-yard backstroke and gave the Kutztown University women's swim team its first event champion since 2010. The Golden Bears topped 400 points as a team to finish ninth at the four-day PSAC Championships.
 
McKee capped an outstanding week in York with her third medal of the meet and fifth in two career PSAC Championships with Kutztown. With a bronze in the 100 butterfly and silver in the 100 back, the Boyertown, Pa., native's sights were squarely on gold.
 
The 200 back's top seed, McKee made a statement in prelims with a 2:04.85, clearing her closest competitor, Amber Baldani of IUP, by more than a second. Baldani couldn't touch her in the final, either. McKee led by more than a second at 50 yards and maintained that advantage throughout, besting her prelims time by 1.7 seconds and holding off Baldani by 1.6 seconds.
 
McKee, last year's runner-up and school record holder in the 200 back, is the first individual champion for the Golden Bears and coach Tim Flannery since Stephanie Jeppesen won the 200 breaststroke in 2010.
 
Another KU swimmer finishing off an impressive week was freshman Annamarie Rodier (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape), who just missed out on bronze in the 1650 freestyle. Rodier improved upon her sixth-place seeding to finish fourth in a career-best 17:39.94. That time moved her from fourth to third on KU's top 10 list.
 
Fellow first-year Golden Bear Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township) outperformed her seeding in the 100 free, going 20th in prelims with the 10th fastest time in KU history, a 53.99, to qualify for the C Final. Soto swam 54.70 in the evening session to place 23rd overall.
 
Soto led off Kutztown's 400 free relay to close out the meet. She was followed by Frannie Pease-Wingenter (Goodyear, Ariz./Millennium), Rodier and McKee in putting down a 3:36.98 to take ninth and enter KU's top 10 list in eighth.
 
West Chester won its 15th PSAC championship in as many trips dating back to 2007 and did so in runaway fashion with 1670 points. IUP was second with 1033 and Bloomsburg third with 840. The Golden Bears totaled 403 points for their third straight ninth-place finish. West Chester and Kutztown didn't compete at the 2021 championships due to the pandemic.
 

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2023 PSAC SWIMMING CHAMPIONSHIPS
Feb. 18, 2023 | Graham Aquatic Center | York, Pa.
 
KUTZTOWN SATURDAY RESULTS

Prelims – 10 a.m.
 
100 Freestyle (51 entries)
20. Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township), 53.99, C Final Qualifier, 10th all-time at KU
45. Frannie Pease-Wingenter (Goodyear, Ariz./Millennium), 55.95
 
200 Backstroke (30 entries)
1. Gracie McKee (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), 2:04.85, A Final Qualifier
 
200 Breaststroke (36 entries)
30. Jade Ware (Easton, Pa./Wilson Area), 2:36.00
 
1650 Freestyle (25 entries)
* Fast heat swam during finals session
13. Natasha Sheehy (Tempe, Australia/MLC School), 18:15.01, 14 pts.
 
Finals – 5 p.m.
 
1650 Freestyle
4. Annamarie Rodier (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape), 17:39.94, 3rd all-time at KU, 26 pts.
 
100 Freestyle
23. Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township), 54.70, 2 pts.
 
200 Backstroke
1. Gracie McKee (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown), 2:03.13, 32 pts.
 
400 Freestyle Relay (12 teams)
9. Kutztown 'A' (Ana Soto (Hamburg, N.J./Vernon Township), Frannie Pease-Wingenter (Goodyear, Ariz./Millennium), Annamarie Rodier (Mount Laurel, N.J./Lenape), Gracie McKee (Boyertown, Pa./Boyertown)), 3:36.98, 8th all-time at KU, 40 pts.